FITALY
Encyclopedia
FITALY is a keyboard layout
specifically optimized for stylus
or touch-based
input. The design places the most common letters closest to the centre to minimize distance travelled while entering a word. The name, FITALY, is derived from the letters occupying the second row in the layout (as QWERTY comes from the 1st row of standard keyboards)
In the first of several keyboards in the system, lowercase letters are arranged in the following pattern:
There are uppercase, numeric, and symbol keyboards as well, and various strokes (rather than taps) are used for both shifting case and selecting symbols. For details, see the manufacturer's site (below).
Fitaly was invented and patented by Jean Ichbiah
and is commercialized by the company he founded, Textware Solutions.
The aim of the design is to optimize text entry by organizing keys to minimize key-to-key finger movement, allowing faster input through one-finger entry (compared to 10 fingers required to type efficiently on QWERTY layout). As compared to the 3-row QWERTY keyboard, FITALY has 5 rows with at most 6 letters in a row (as against 10 on QWERTY).
Keys are arranged based on individual frequencies of letters in the English language, and the probability of transitions. The ten letters at the very center (i,t,a,l,n,e,d,o,r,s) are used 73% of the times when typing in English and with c,h,u,m added to the list, the number goes up to 84%. Keys are never more than 2 blocks away (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) from the current position. You nearly always find the next likely letter on a key very close to the one you just tapped.
Currently supported platforms are Pocket PC
/ Windows Mobile
, and Windows Tablet PC
. There was a version for the Palm
. An Android version is under consideration, but someone had DIY an android port .
Keyboard layout
A keyboard layout is any specific mechanical, visual, or functional arrangement of the keys, legends, or key–meaning associations of a computer, typewriter, or other typographic keyboard....
specifically optimized for stylus
Stylus (computing)
In computing, a stylus is a small pen-shaped instrument that is used to input commands to a computer screen, mobile device or graphics tablet...
or touch-based
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
input. The design places the most common letters closest to the centre to minimize distance travelled while entering a word. The name, FITALY, is derived from the letters occupying the second row in the layout (as QWERTY comes from the 1st row of standard keyboards)
In the first of several keyboards in the system, lowercase letters are arranged in the following pattern:
| z | v | c | h | w | k |
| f | i | t | a | l | y |
| n | e | ||||
| g | d | o | r | s | b |
| q | j | u | m | p | x |
There are uppercase, numeric, and symbol keyboards as well, and various strokes (rather than taps) are used for both shifting case and selecting symbols. For details, see the manufacturer's site (below).
Fitaly was invented and patented by Jean Ichbiah
Jean Ichbiah
Jean David Ichbiah was a French-born computer scientist and the chief designer of Ada, a general-purpose, strongly typed programming language with certified validated compilers....
and is commercialized by the company he founded, Textware Solutions.
The aim of the design is to optimize text entry by organizing keys to minimize key-to-key finger movement, allowing faster input through one-finger entry (compared to 10 fingers required to type efficiently on QWERTY layout). As compared to the 3-row QWERTY keyboard, FITALY has 5 rows with at most 6 letters in a row (as against 10 on QWERTY).
Keys are arranged based on individual frequencies of letters in the English language, and the probability of transitions. The ten letters at the very center (i,t,a,l,n,e,d,o,r,s) are used 73% of the times when typing in English and with c,h,u,m added to the list, the number goes up to 84%. Keys are never more than 2 blocks away (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) from the current position. You nearly always find the next likely letter on a key very close to the one you just tapped.
Currently supported platforms are Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
/ Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
, and Windows Tablet PC
Microsoft Tablet PC
A Microsoft Tablet PC is a term coined by Microsoft for tablet computers conforming to a set of specifications announced in 2001 by Microsoft, for a pen-enabled personal computer, conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition...
. There was a version for the Palm
Palm (PDA)
Palm handhelds were Personal Digital Assistants which ran the Palm OS. Palm devices have evolved from handhelds to smartphones which run Palm OS, WebOS, and Windows Mobile...
. An Android version is under consideration, but someone had DIY an android port .
External links
- http://fitaly.com/product/fitalyppc.htm
- http://fitaly.com/product/fitalywindows.htm
- http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/Fitaly-4.htm
- http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/fitaly_review
- http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/2005/03/fitaly-virtual.htm
- http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=623015